NASHVILLE – Titans fans will get a kick out of this: Punter Brett Kern has agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with the team.
Since joining the Titans, Kern has established himself as one of the NFL’s top punters.
The 11-year veteran has made it to the Pro Bowl in each of his past two seasons.
“I am blessed to be able to make it through that many coaches, and to be in one city for a long time,” Kern told Titans Online at the Pro Bowl. “I never take it for granted. Being cut from Denver (earlier in my career), it was not a great feeling and I know it can happen at any time if you are not performing.
“I am just grateful for every opportunity I get to play, and to be a Titan.”
Kern averaged 47.1 yards a punt in 2018, including a 41.7-yard net. He pinned 39 punts down inside the 20, with only three touchbacks.
It followed a year when Kern led the NFL and set a franchise record in punting average (49.7) and net average (44.6), with 28 pinned down inside the 20 and only five touchbacks. The 49.7-yard average ranked eighth in NFL history and was the highest of any player since 2012.
Kern owns the top seven net punting seasons in franchise history and eight of the team’s top 10 net punting seasons.
Kern, the longest tenured Titan, has punted for five different head coaches in Tennessee – Jeff Fisher, Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Mularkey and now Mike Vrabel.
Kern joined the Titans in 2009 after beginning his career with the Broncos. Kern signed a contract extension with the Titans in 2015, but that deal was set to expire after the 2019 season.
Kern, who played collegiately at Toledo, was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2009.